


Friendship

by littledragon94



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 06:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4468796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littledragon94/pseuds/littledragon94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur thinks back to his friendship with Mad-Eye in the wake of Moody's death. For the "Bingo Card Drabble Competition 2013". #3 Arthur Weasley (Friendship).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship

Arthur Weasley remembered the first time he had met Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.

It had been at the funeral of Fabian and Gideon Prewett - Arthur's brothers-in-law. The brothers had been killed by Death Eaters just before the end of the First Wizarding War.

Arthur stood beside his wife, holding her gently as she sobbed onto his shoulder. Bill and Charlie, their eldest sons, were putting on brave faces for their younger siblings who didn’t really know what was going on in their young ages. Bill cradled newborn Ginny, who slept peacefully in his arms. Charlie held one year-old Ron. Great-Aunt Muriel carefully watched five year-old Percy and three year-old twins Fred and George.

Arthur had only ever seen Moody around the Ministry. They’d never spoken, so Arthur had doubted that Moody even knew his name. Everyone knew Moody’s name, of course. He was the most famed Auror of the time, personally responsible for filling half the cells in Azkaban.

So Arthur was surprised when Moody limped over to the Weasley clan to pay his respects and addressed Arthur by name.

‘Fabian and Gideon spoke highly of you, Arthur,’ Moody informed him. ‘Said the only things they were afraid of losing were each other and their sister.’ Molly sobbed loudly and retreated back into Arthur’s arms, clutching at his robes. ‘They were reassured that Molly has you to look after her in their stead.’

Moody reached out a gnarled hand to firmly shake Arthur’s.

And so began years of mutual respect that, over the next decade, evolved through corridor conversations and dinner invitations into trust and friendship.

The years passed and Moody retired from the Auror Office while Arthur continued working in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department.

Arthur helped out Moody when he had a run in with the Muggle law. Arthur visited Moody when he was recovering from being held prisoner in his own trunk by Barty Crouch Junior.

When You-Know-Who returned, bringing the promise of an inevitable war, Arthur and his family relocated to 12 Grimmauld Place to join the reformed Order of the Phoenix.

Arthur and Moody shared a number of duties and watched each other’s backs. Both knew the chances of either of them coming out of the war unscathed, but neither spoke about it. Arthur was comforted in the knowledge that no one in the Order would let anything happen to his children if the worst happened.

Mad-Eye visited Arthur in hospital after Arthur was bitten by You-Know-Who’s snake.

Then the Second Wizarding War officially began, and Arthur was promoted.

At Dumbledore’s funeral, the two friends gathered around Dumbledore’s white tomb, both grieving for their fallen leader.

Arthur wondered how many more people had to die before You-Know-Who was defeated again. He didn’t realise that one of his oldest and truest friends would be one of them.

Out in the garden of the Burrow it was Molly’s turn to comfort Arthur.

“Mad-Eye’s dead.” Bill had told his father, looking him directly in the eye, and Arthur didn’t know how to react. Memories surged through his mind.

_Mad-Eye Moody could not be dead._

Arthur haltingly told Fred and George the news. Then he found himself sitting on the sofa, half a glass of Firewhisky in his hand, the rest of it burning through his body, driving out his grief.

Every fibre of Arthur’s being was telling him that Bill was lying. That he hadn’t seen Mad-Eye hit by the killing curse and knocked from his broom.

Arthur stared numbly into space while the others talked about what happened. When he came to, Bill and Lupin had gone to recover Mad-Eye’s body. Then Harry was talking about leaving and his wand doing magic by itself. Arthur tried to help, but his heart wasn’t in it.

That night, and for the days after, Arthur expected Moody to come stomping through the door, making everyone jump by shouting “CONSTANT VIGILANCE” at every opportunity, rolling his magical eye at Tonks and glaring at Fred and George.

In the few snatches of time he could get alone in his shed, while Molly fussed about wedding preparation, Arthur thought back to all the times he had spent with Moody. How many things had that tough old boot helped Arthur with over the years? How many scrapes with the Muggle law had Arthur got Moody out of?

The more time he thought about it, the more Arthur realised: he would never again find a friend quite like Alastor Moody.

 


End file.
